Design

Countermeasures

Camouflage

The Ares is equipped with effective active camouflage. Its surface has holographic projects that mimic the other side of the vehicle at 180 degrees from the projector. However, it can only mimic the colors but no specific patterns.

Concealment

The turret is fitted with one six-barreled smoke grenade launchers. These can create a thick smoke that blocks both vision and thermal imaging. The engine is also equipped with a smoke generator that is triggered by the driver.

Softkill Measure Defenses

Softkill measures are applied when it is expected that a sensor-based weapon system can be successfully interfered with. The threat sensor can be either an artificial one, e.g., a solid-stateinfrared detector, or the human sensory system (eye and/or ear).

Softkill measures generally interfere with the signature of the target to be protected. In the following the term signature refers to the electromagnetic signature of an object in either the ultraviolet (wavelength: 0.3-0.4 µm), visual (0.4-0.8 µm), or infrared (0.8 - 14 µm) spectral range as well as cm-radar range (frequency: 2–18 GHz), mmw-radar (35, 94, 144 GHz) and finally sonar range (either 50 Hz - 3 kHz and/or 3– 15 kHz).

One or more of the following actions may be taken to provide softkill:

Reduction of signature

Augmentation of signature

Softkill countermeasures can be divided into on-board and expendable countermeasures. Whereas on-board measures are fixed on the platform to be protected, expendable measures are ejected from the platform.

Preemptive action of countermeasures is directed to generally prevent lock-on of a threat sensor to a certain target. It is based on altering the signature of the target by either concealing the platform signature or enhancing the signature of the background, thus minimizing the contrast between the two.

Reactiveaction of countermeasures is directed toward break-lock of a threat already homing in on a certain target. It is based on the tactics of signature imitation, augmentation, or reduction.

IR-decoy Flares

Radar Decoys

To counter radar-guided missiles, chaff is used. These are copper nickel-coated glass fibers or silver-coated nylon fibers having lengths equal to half of the anticipated radar wavelength.

Armor

The Athena is protected by armor based on the British-designed Chobham armor, a further development of the British 'Burlington' armor. the Ares' armor is formed by spacing multiple layers of various alloys of depleted uranium, steel, ceramics, plastic composites, and kevlar, giving an estimated maximum (frontal turret) 1,000 millimetres (39.3701 in) of RHAe versus HEAT (and other chemical energy rounds) and 592.5843 mm (23.3301 in) versus kinetic energy penetrators. Protection against spalling is provided by a Kevlar liner.